Client server model for multiple document editor

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is a client-server editing model to provide a client side interface to a server side multi-document editor (multi-edit capability) that may be used for editing multiple configuration documents (e.g., device configurations represented as documents) simultaneously. The sever side component may maintain information relating to multiple configuration documents by parsing a plurality of different network device configuration documents to create a set of slots and anchor points relative to locations of related parameter settings within each of the different network device configuration documents. The server side may transmit a condensed view of an area of interest to a remote client device along with location information that may be used to reverse map to original documents. Upon receiving user input a change may be implemented. Throughout the editing session data provided to a client side application could be logically compressed to avoid redundant information from multiple sources being provided.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED CASES

This case is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/213,661,entitled, “Maintaining Edit Position for Multiple Document Editor,”filed on the same date as this application by Frank Wood, et al. Thiscase is also related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/213,074,entitled, “Multiple Document Editing Using Rules for a RestrictedLanguage” filed on the same date as this application by Frank Wood, etal. This case is also related to U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/213,795, entitled, “Error Detection and Correction for MultipleDocument Editor,” filed on the same date as this application by FrankWood, et al.

BACKGROUND

Today's infrastructure networks are becoming more and more complicatedand including ever increasing numbers of devices with networkcapabilities. One side-effect of adding a large number of connecteddevices is the infrastructure networks (e.g., corporate privatenetworks) become more complicated and may require additional, networksupport devices such as routers, bridges, domain name servers, networktime protocol (NTP) servers, gateways, etc. Each of these networksupport devices generally requires a configuration of network parametersto function in the network architecture. In some cases, network devicesrequire consistency for certain network parameters (e.g., InternetProtocol (IP) address of an NTP server). For example, if there is asingle NTP server within a given network, then all devices on thenetwork should be configured to point to the single NTP server to have aconsistent time reference. In other cases, there may be different levelsof security configurations for different devices, for example to supporta secure subnet, that is partitioned from standard network communicationtraffic, within a lager network infrastructure. Accordingly, certaindevices have different values for the same configuration parametersetting as other devices not involved with (or allowed access to) thesecure subnet. Simply put, there are situations when configurationparameter settings are desired to be identical and other situationswhere the same configuration parameter settings have a different valuefor selected network devices.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure may be better understood from the followingdetailed description when read with the accompanying Figures. It isemphasized that, in accordance with standard practice in the industry,various features are not drawn to scale. In fact, the dimensions orlocations of functional attributes may be relocated or combined based ondesign, security, performance, or other factors known in the art ofcomputer systems. Further, order of processing may be altered for somefunctions, both internally and with respect to each other. That is, somefunctions may not use serial processing and therefore may be performed,in an order different than shown or possibly in parallel with eachother. For a detailed description of various examples, reference willnow be made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1A is a block diagram representing an example logical breakdown oflanguage and available data sources used to illustrate one possibletechnique for generating a restricted grammar language (RGL) rule setfor use in editing multiple related input documents (e.g., thatcorrespond to a network device configuration), according to exampleimplementations of this disclosure;

FIG. 1B is a functional block diagram representing an example group ofnetwork device configuration documents managed, according to exampleimplementations of this disclosure;

FIG. 1C is, a functional block diagram representing the example group ofnetwork device configuration documents from FIG. 1B having exampleanchors assigned to facilitate merging changes of similar statementsacross multiple managed documents, according to example implementationsof this disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram representing an example of changesmade to a statement in a network device configuration document andpossible resultant merging of that change to similar statements inanother document (e.g., another devices configuration file) based onavailable anchor points, according to example implementations of thisdisclosure;

FIG. 3 is one example process illustrating validation and slot orderingof statements based on an RGL, according to one example implementationof this disclosure;

FIG. 4 is an example computing device with a hardware processor andaccessible, machine-readable instructions that might be used to compileand execute a program implementing the validation and slot ordering ofstatements based on an RGL as outlined in FIG. 3, according to oneexample implementation of this disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of one example simplified corporate networkwhere multiple devices have similar configurations and may be managedusing one or more techniques outlined in accordance with exampleimplementations of this disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram representing an example of network deviceconfiguration documents that may be managed using one or more techniquesoutlined in accordance with example implementations of this disclosure;

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a client-server editing capability tooptimize a client device by providing server-side support for amulti-edit capability as disclosed herein where the client deviceleverages functionality of the server-side multi-editor to provideend-user functionality for editing multiple configuration documentssimultaneously, according to one or more disclosed implementations;

FIG. 8 represents a computer network infrastructure that may be used toimplement all or part of the disclosed network device configurationdocument management techniques, according to one or more disclosedimplementations; and

FIG. 9 illustrates a computer processing device that may be used toimplement the functions, modules, processing platforms, executionplatforms, communication devices, and other methods and processes ofthis disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Illustrative examples of the subject matter claimed below will now bedisclosed. In the interest of clarity, not all features of an actualimplementation are described in this specification. It will beappreciated that in the development of any such actual example, numerousimplementation-specific decisions may be made to achieve the developer'sspecific goals, such as compliance with system-related andbusiness-related constraints, which will vary from one implementation toanother. Moreover, it will be appreciated that such a developmenteffort, even if complex and time-consuming, would be a routineundertaking for those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit ofthis disclosure.

In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerousspecific details are set forth in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding of the examples disclosed herein. It will be apparent,however, to one skilled in the art that the disclosed exampleimplementations may be practiced without these specific details. Inother instances, structure and devices are shown in block diagram formin order to avoid obscuring the disclosed examples. Moreover, thelanguage used in this disclosure has principally selected forreadability and instructional purposes and may not have been selected todelineate or circumscribe the inventive subject matter, resorting to theclaims being necessary to determine such inventive subject matter.Reference in the specification to “one example” or to “an example” meansthat a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described inconnection with the examples is included in at least one implementation.

As used herein, the terms “application” and “function” refer to one ormore computing modules, programs, processes, workloads, threads and/or aset of computing instructions executed by a computing system. Exampleimplementations of applications and functions include software modules,software objects, software instances and/or other types of executablecode. Note, the use of the term “application instance” when used in thecontext of cloud computing refers to an instance within the cloudinfrastructure for executing applications (e.g. for a customer in thatcustomer's isolated instance).

As used in the examples of this disclosure there are computing devicesreferred to as either client devices and server devices. Depending onthe context of the use of the terms “client” and “server,” these termsmay not refer to a capability classification of the underlying hardware.Further, client devices should not be confused with a client applicationof a server-based application (or distributed application). In certainuses, client devices may represent devices in a client-serverarchitecture rather than providing any indication of machinespecifications and capabilities. However, while it is true that clientdevices may often run client applications, there are situations where aclient device will execute the server side of a client-serverapplication such that the client device communicates with a serverdevice (e.g., executing the client application) to request remoteexecution on behalf of the client device. That is, the client device mayexecute a server application portion with the server device executingthe client application portion for a given client-server applicationarchitecture. In general, the client portion of an application is theportion that requests some work and receives the results of the work,with the server portion receiving the request for work, performing thatwork, and providing the results.

Network support devices such as routers, bridges, domain name servers,NTP servers, gateways, etc, have a configuration of network parametersin order to function in a network architecture.

Historical methods for maintaining network device parameters are largelymanual with limited automation and maintenance capabilities available tosystem administrators. For example, some system administrators createtemplates to store base values for configuration settings used toconfigure a new device, implement scripted methods to apply bulk changesof data to network devices, or utilize standard multi-file differencingutilities. While providing some perceived assistance, templates easilybecome outdated. As a result, a change to a value representing aconfiguration setting in a template might have initiated an effort(possibly manual) to determine which network devices had already beenconfigured based on the now outdated template. Automated bulk changesmay be additionally problematic. For example, if an error was introducedin bulk, the network may be crashed and be difficult to restore.

Computer assisted interrogation of a large number of files may also behampered, in part, because existing multi-file diff utilities (utilitiesthat compare multiple input files to identify differences) may nothandle sufficient inputs because of design limitations for thoseutilities. Specifically, most multi-file diff utilities are limited andfocus on a very few parallel instances of files (e.g., mostly 2 andsometimes 3 files but rarely more). Overall, these approaches do notprovide a comprehensive solution for network administrators. Further,because of the manual nature and overall complexity, these approachesoften result in inadvertent incorrect settings being configured fordevices within a network infrastructure. Incorrect configurationsettings cause undesired network performance, or even network failure.Accordingly, setting or adjusting configuration parameters of networkdevices may benefit from disclosed techniques to manage a large number(e.g., many independent instances) of related, but not identical,configuration files.

In modern corporate networks, most network devices are dedicatedswitches, routers, or bridges, however, server computers may beconfigured to perform functions of a network device and may be used inthat manner by smaller entities. The concepts of this disclosure are notlimited to dedicated network devices, as they apply to existing devicesconfigured to support networking functions.

In practice, there may be hundreds of network devices within an actualnetwork configuration domain of a large corporation or enterprise. Eachdevice will have a functional configuration that allows the device tooperate within the network. Many devices may have configurations thatare very similar for a set of devices that may be logically grouped in anetwork. Groupings may include, for example, common function, physicalconnectivity, or naming conventions. As an example, consider severalsubnets that may be connected together through a common router. Therouter may have multiple network interfaces each having a different IPaddress and each subnet may be connected to one network interface. Eachdevice in, a subnet may be configured to route traffic through thecommon router but will contact the router on the IP address where thesubnet is connected to the router. Configuration of each device on thesubnet, though similar, (e.g., having a default route to the commonrouter) will have at least one minor difference between them.Specifically, each device may have a unique IP address that is suitablefor the subnet where the device is connected (either physically orwirelessly) to the network.

When taken at a high level, one example implementation of thisdisclosure describes methods and systems where edits to statements in aplurality of network device configuration documents may be merged withother documents having similar configuration statements. This allows anetwork administrator to manage changes to configurations of a largenumber of network devices. In a first example implementation, multipleinput files representative of configuration settings for distinctnetwork communication devices may be parsed and placed into a positionwithin a scaffold based on a structured grammar definition (e.g.,defined ahead of time as opposed to the RGL which may be generated asdiscussed later). Using the structured grammar definition, a scaffoldingmay be built.

Once the scaffolding is in place, each individual file (e.g.,representative of a network device) may be parsed and its information(e.g., configuration settings) may be placed into the correct locationof the scaffold along with each other file provided as input. A finalview may be determined by the populated branches of the scaffold and therules used to merge each branch of the scaffold. Thus, based on thisfinal scaffold view outlier data (e.g., settings that are not inconformance with other (or a majority of other) network configurationdevices) may be easily identified. For example, if a single (or few)network configuration settings are different from other settings acrossthe set of input files, a new slot in the scaffold would be created andhave a back reference to very few (or a single) network device.Accordingly, depending on the type of configuration setting (as may behighlighted in the structured grammar definition) an outlier value maybe suspect and initiate further investigation. Using the disclosedscaffold view, a system administrator may “at a glance” determine whichparameter settings are not consistently applied across the scope oftheir network used to populate the scaffold view (e.g., network wide,for a particular subnet, or for a particular device type (or setthereof)).

In this example, an update to the scaffolding rules may be updated andinput files parsed again to create an updated view. Using thisscaffolding approach, a command line interface (CLI) and scriptingautomation may be made available to users that may be more comfortablewith a CLI interface rather than an interactive interface (e.g., themulti-edit interface described below). Further, the grammar scaffold mayallow the ability to track merges and apply edit changes via a CLIinterface. Discussed further below are anchor points within multipledocuments that allow an interactive editor to maintain relative filelocation information. However, an overall scaffolding structure may bemore amenable to CLI interactions. In any case, the concepts are similarin that they both allow edit changes to be back propagated from a singleview to multiple source files based on a change from a systemadministrator. In short, a scaffolding may allow a single comprehensiveview across a plurality of network devices and present information sothat similarities and differences of individual device configurationsmay be easily perceived. The structured grammar used to populate thescaffolding may also be utilized via CLI commands to affect updates tospecific configuration settings across one or more underlying devices.

Other example implementations of this disclosure provide rule sets forvalidation of configuration edits at different points in a developmentlife cycle for network administration changes. In one example, an editormay be augmented with information from an RGL rule set to providejust-in-time correction (or suggestions) while a network administratoris editing configuration parameters for multiple devices simultaneously.As used herein, “RGL” may be used as a shorthand that refers to thedisclosed RGL rule set including structure rules, machine learninginformation, and data mining information as explained with reference toFIG. 1A below. Just-in-time in this context may also be explained usinga simple use-case example. That is, while the network administrator isactively interacting with an editor (e.g., computer process facilitatingmulti-edit capabilities described herein), the editor may automaticallyvalidate entries or provide suggested entries based on informationavailable in the RGL. The suggestions and validations may be derivedfrom all available information used to generate the disclosed RGL (SeeFIG. 1A).

As will be appreciated, the potentially complex network environment andnumber of devices in a corporate network each introduce a variable thataffects how a network administrator may manage a large number of networkdevices. Each network device has some form of configuration that may beas simple as the name of the device, but often configuration of anetwork device includes an unpredictable combination of configurationparameters of varying complexity. Accordingly, disclosed implementationsrepresent improvements to the art of system administration generally andspecifically network administration that allows for a networkadministrator to manage multiple configuration files concurrently andpossibly use an enhanced network and domain aware editor to do so.

To efficiently allow a network administrator to describe their desiredconfiguration parameters, a technique for automatically defining an RGL,possibly with different levels of scope, has been created. In thecontext of network device administration, different levels of scoperefer to different portions of the network. That is, some ranges,values, available devices, etc. may be applicable to a portion (e.g.,subnet or set of like devices) of an overall corporate network. Theautomatically generated (and possibly scoped) RGL may allow a networkadministrator to edit configuration settings across a set of devices(i.e., multi-edit concurrently) and have appropriate “expert advice”available while the editing session is taking place. Further, thisavailable expert advice (e.g., that is derived from the RGL) may be usedto validate proposed changes and warn against implementation ofpotentially damaging configuration changes. In a simple form, the RGLmay be used to prevent a typographical error to a parameter setting (oran out of range value) from being deployed on a network. In any case,the disclosed multi-edit and concurrent application of changes acrossmultiple devices simultaneously may provide an ease-of-use benefit byallowing a single interface point for a comprehensive set of networkconfiguration changes.

In one example implementation, changes made by a network administrationto a single editing interface are automatically integrated, based onappropriate anchor points, into their respective locations (which may bedifferent per configuration document) for each device associated with aparticular multi-edit session. The multi-edit processing may create achange document per network device based on the instructions provided inthe multi-edit session for changes to the network configuration. As willbe apparent, when the number of network devices is quite large, changesthat need to be applied to multiple network devices translates intochanges that need to be made to the configuration document for eachdevice. Multiple configuration documents may become quite difficult tomanage considering the number of devices, personnel changes overtime,and multiple people making ad hoc changes. Accordingly, providing asingle change interface such as the disclosed multi-edit, network aware(e.g., RGL expert knowledge base), and position aware (anchor points)technique for implementing changes represents an improvement to the artof network administration. Other technical areas, in addition to networkadministration, may also benefit from the disclosed techniques ofmanaging multiple related files concurrently and this disclosure is notintended to be limited to network device configuration files. Forexample, managing source code files across multiple related branches ofa source code repository to implement a global change (or change ofother scope) may similarly benefit from disclosed multi-edit techniques.Other applications of these techniques are also possible.

Having an understanding of the above overview, this disclosure will nowexplain a non-limiting but detailed example implementation. This exampleimplementation is explained with reference to the figures and includes:a block diagram representing an example logical breakdown of a languageand available data sources used to illustrate one possible technique forgenerating an RGL (e.g., rule set with metadata and domain knowledge)for use in editing multiple related input documents (e.g., thatcorrespond to network device configuration) (FIG. 1A); an example groupof network device configuration documents managed using the techniquesin this disclosure (FIG. 1B); the example group of network deviceconfiguration documents from FIG. 1B having example anchors assigned totrack changes of similar statements across multiple managed documents(FIG. 1C); an example of changes made to a statement in a network deviceconfiguration document merging to similar statements in another document(FIG. 2); an example process illustrating the validation and slotordering of statements following an RGL paradigm (FIG. 3); an examplecomputing device with a hardware processor and accessiblemachine-readable instructions that might be used to compile and executea program implementing the validation and slot ordering of statementsfollowing an RGL paradigm (FIG. 4); an example block diagram of acorporate network where multiple devices have similar configurations(FIG. 5); an example of network device configuration documents (FIG. 6);a block diagram of a client-server editing capability to optimize aclient device by providing server-side support for a multi-editcapability as disclosed herein where the client device leveragesfunctionality of the server-side multi-editor to provide end-userfunctionality for editing multiple configuration documentssimultaneously (FIG. 7); an example group of computers andinterconnections between computers that may be used as part of thecompilation or execution of the disclosed network device configurationdocument management techniques (FIG. 8); and an example processingdevice that may be used in one or more devices that may implementcompilation or execution of the disclosed network device configurationdocument management techniques (FIG. 9).

Referring now to FIG. 1A, a block diagram 100 representing an examplelogical breakdown of a language and available data sources used toillustrate one possible technique for generating an RGL 110 (e.g., ruleset) for use in editing multiple related input documents (e.g., thatcorrespond to network device configuration), according to one or moredisclosed implementations. As used herein, a restricted language refersto a language with a finite set of terms that does not evolveasynchronously with versions of software, hardware, and firmware. Thus,for a given set of releases of firmware, hardware, and software (eachreleased independently) a comprehensive set of allowable terms may bederived. That comprehensive set of terms will be fixed until a new termmay be introduced as part of a new version release of one or more ofhardware, software, and firmware. Block diagram 100 illustrates language101 and possible component attributes of a language. Arrow 105illustrates that processing of language rules and available data sourcesmay be used to process inputs and automatically generate an RGL 110.Different RGL 110 rule sets may be generated for different portions(e.g., subnets) of an enterprise network. For example, an RGL 110 for asecure subnet may have different configuration setting rules than anon-secure subnet within the same corporate enterprise network. Thus,there may be a hierarchy of RGLs 110 for some implementations that maybe automatically adjusted based on the devices a network administratordefines (e.g., an editing scope) for a multi-edit session. RGLs 110 tobe applied in a particular multi-edit session may be generated off-lineor may be adjusted automatically based on which types of parameters anetwork administrator is changing (e.g., editing). Further, RGLs 110 maybe applied just-in-time while the editing session is in progress or maybe applied as a post edit validation (e.g., prior to deployment). In anycase, RGLs 110 may be applied to prevent (or warn) a networkadministrator of any suspect changes made prior to impacting a networkadversely.

Returning to FIG. 1A, language 101 is illustrated to include componentparts that define a vocabulary 101-1 (e.g., set of valid words/terms),structure of language based on syntax 101-2, grammar 101-3, andpunctuation 101-4. Further, additional information may be used toaugment basic language rules to provide expert knowledge for an RGL 110.For example, local universe of available devices 101-5 represents ascoping capability to allow appropriate rules to be applied to editingchanges based on which devices are selected for editing. That is, basedon the devices corresponding to a multi-edit session such as a subnet orset of secure devices, a different RGL may be applied (or a hierarchy ofRGLs). Usage information 101-6 indicates that data mining techniques maybe applied across all available devices to detect consistency attributesthat may be useful to identify an erroneous typographical error madeduring an editing session. In one implementation, usage information101-6 extends beyond the scope of the current multi-edit session and maybe maintained at a global scope to provide consistency information.Range values 101-7 indicate that certain parameters may have validranges for their configuration and, for example, an edit to change avalue to be outside a valid range may represent a suspect editingaction. Ranges may be based on locally defined information (e.g., thecurrently used ranges within a network) or may be based on rules definedby a network administrator. User manuals 101-8 represent thatinformation about device specifications may be obtained from staticsources and used to assist in validation (e.g., capability of a devicemay be specified in its device specification documents to not exceed acertain value for a given parameter). Other data 101-9 may also be usedto define acceptable changes. For example, if a proposed change was tointroduce a parameter setting that has not to-date been used within anenterprise environment, this may be an indication that an error has beenmade or at least that a suspect entry should produce an indication ofwarning via the editing session or validation prior to deployment.Further, a newly used association of related values or a usage of firstimpression to the network environment may represent a suspect edit thatmay initiate a warning. In general, if a user is editing a value to be“inappropriate” based on currently used values within the administrationdomain or to be inconsistent with design specifications of devices to bechange, a warning may be helpful to prevent inadvertent alterations to acorporate network.

In general, a vocabulary 101-1 for a language may be thought of as theset of words that have definition (e.g., understood meaning) within thatlanguage. Over time, words may be added to or deleted from (althoughrarely) a vocabulary for a given language. In computer languages, wordsrepresenting commands are often deprecated (retired) prior to beingdeleted (unsupported).

A syntax 101-2 is often associated with computer languages and may bethought of as a combination of grammar 101-3 and punctuation 101-4 asthose are used in a natural language. Configuration files, much likecomputer languages used for programming, typically conform to a syntax.Simply put, configuration files typically have an understood structure.

Grammar 101-3 represents rules of association between words of alanguage with respect to their “proper” usage. Sometimes grammar rulesare strict in that associations of words to each other may alter theirmeaning. That is, a word may take a particular meaning, selected from aset of valid alternative meanings, based on its context (e.g., positionin a sentence or proximity to other words).

Punctuation 101-4 refers to non-alphanumeric symbols that may be used insentences to provide segmentation and emphasis. In configuration files,punctuation characters may assist with conformance to syntax 101-2 rulesand may allow for proper parsing when configuration information isinterpreted for use.

Usage information 101-6 and validation based thereon may be performed,in part, by identifying similarities and differences across a localuniverse of available devices 101-5 (e.g., a scope). Additionally, ahierarchy of different levels of relationships may be determined andused as a weighting factor to determine if differences are expected orsuspect. For example, suspect entries may have a typographical errorwhere a value is different than expected or possibly a transposed set ofnumbers. In one example, a value for an NTP server may be a transposedaddress relative to all other devices within a subset of the network andmay therefore be considered highly suspect (e.g., across all devices ina subnet one device has a transposed network address that would beconsistent of not for the transposition).

Range values 101-7 may be helpful for validation of some configurationsettings. For example, an internet protocol (IP) address may have validvalues based on usage within an enterprise network (e.g., IP addressrange for subnet). Some parameters may additionally have values withinranges as supported by device specifications or software releases.Accordingly, inputs associated with this type of information, such asdevice user manuals 101-8 and software release notes, may be used toassist in validation of proposed changes.

Other data defining acceptable terms, values, associations, and usage(block 101-9) may also be utilized. For example, local rules definitionfiles may define acceptable configuration parameter settings or locallyapplied ranges, etc.

Arrow 105 indicates that the above mentioned inputs may be processed togenerate one or more RGLs to be used to augment the disclosedmulti-editor implementations. Data examples and rules may be collectedfrom all available sources (e.g., sources listed above and possiblyothers). Once collected, data may be processed using machine learningtechniques, for example, and data may be mined using data miningtechniques. Data analysis techniques may be applied to these inputs toproduce a rule set for configuration file editing and validation. Forsimplicity of explanation, this disclosure refers to an RGL whenreferencing a restricted grammar language rule set generated to provideexpert advice with respect to usage, syntax, conformity, and overallrules that may be used to validate proposed changes (e.g., in amulti-edit session). Note, that it is not always the case that anediting session be a multi-edit session to use an RGL and editing of asingle configuration file may also benefit from disclosed validationtechniques.

Referring now to FIG. 1B, block diagram 108 illustrates a simplifiedcase of multiple network device configuration documents 109-1 to 109-3.For the purposes of explanation here, three documents are shown butthere is no limit to the number of documents that can be edited andmerged utilizing the techniques in this disclosure. Each network deviceconfiguration document 109-1, 109-2, and 109-3 are each illustrated tocontain multiple statements (e.g., configuration details such as akey/value pair for a parameter setting) that should conform to RGL 110(and may be used as inputs to generate RGL 110). Block diagram 108illustrates example documents with a limited number of statements forpurposes of simplifying the example, but a document may contain anynumber of statements. In most cases, for a complex network device theremay be a significant (e.g., thousands) of configuration settingspossible.

The disclosed RGL may be generated with an understanding of a grammarthat is used and recognize a defined syntax of the statements used innetwork device configuration documents. The syntax can be a combinationof letters, numbers, whitespace, and symbols of any form appropriate toallow a human to express unambiguous instructions for how a computer mayinterpret a statement conforming to the syntax for any given purpose. Inaccordance with the examples, statements in this context areconfiguration instructions that may be interpreted by a network devicefor the purpose of changing how the device operates.

As explained above, RGL 110 represents a restricted grammar thatassociates syntax rules and contextual metadata with statements that maybe used to aid in the interpretation and validation of the statement.The metadata may include information about how each statement is orderedfor interpretation, indentation, or parent-child relationships betweenstatements. These specific metadata items are intended as an example toillustrate the use of the grammar metadata and are not intended to limitthe use of metadata to these examples.

Statements in each device configuration file 109 may be assigned anordering “slot” based on metadata that is defined by RGL 110. The slotassigned to a statement may indicate an incremental order (e.g. Slot 1is ordered before Slot 2, Slot 2 before Slot 3, and so on) that may beused when an interpreting program is processing the network deviceconfiguration document. The slot may alternatively indicate a positionwithin a document relative to an anchor point with respect to statementsin a document. In either case, the slot may not be restricted to asingle statement. As briefly mentioned above, anchor points may be atdifferent relative locations for different configuration files but acommon anchor point across two documents may indicate that theconfiguration settings in that area of the document are the same (orsimilar) across different instances of the devices. In short, anchorpoints may be associated with an “area of interest” within aconfiguration file and the areas of interest may be further associatedwith a slot. Accordingly, editing parameter settings may provide anadjustment to values and the combination of slots, anchor points, andareas of interest may be used as a mapping to determine a location ineach individual configuration file to apply the adjustment. The metadatain RGL 110 may also specify if a slot may contain a single statement ormay contain multiple statements, for example, based on the types ofconfiguration parameters at that location of a configuration file.

Still referring to FIG. 1B, an illustrative example of the statementslot assignment is illustrated in document 109-1 where the firststatement “INSTRUCTIONS STMT A” is assigned to “Slot 03” as indicated inthe diagram. The subsequent statements are each, in this example,assigned a further slot in accordance with metadata in RGL 110. IN thisexample, the use of A, B, C, and D for instruction statements reflectsthe order in which the statements appear within a given configurationfile and not that the instruction statements are the same. That is,slots (and anchor points discussed below) are used in this example togroup statements related to each other together across different files.To be clear, Instructions statement A in document 109-1 is not intendedin this example to be the same type of instruction statement asInstruction statement A in document 109-2, the similarity implied inthis example is that they are both the first sequential instructionstatement in their respective documents.

As illustrated in document 109-2 where “INSTRUCTIONS STMT B” and“INSTRUCTIONS STMT C” are both assigned to ordering slot 12 there is anintended implication that each of these statements (along with“INSTRUCTIONS STMT B” in both configuration file 109-1 and configurationfile 109-2) are related to each other with respect to a similar or thesame configuration setting. This example also illustrates that multiplestatements may be assigned the same ordering slot within a singledocument or across multiple documents. Also note, as indicated bydocuments 109-1 to 109-3 that a single document may not containstatements for all ordering slots. Document 109-1, for example, beginswith a statement that is ordered in slot three but does not necessarilycontain statements associated with slots one and two. The statementsthat would have been assigned to the missing slots may not have beenrelevant to the network device corresponding to the configurationrecorded in document 109-1.

Document 109-2 further illustrates that statements may not be assignedan ordering slot. Specifically, as the diagram indicates “INSTRUCTIONSSTMT D” of document 109-2 is illustrated with an ordering slot “Slot??”.Statements that are not assigned an ordering slot may or may not bevalid according to RGL 110. Statements that are not assigned an orderingslot may be considered unmapped and may subsequently be ordered afterthe largest assigned ordering slot in the document (or be an indicationof a suspect entry that should initiate a warning or error).

Referring now to FIG. 1C, block diagram 108 from FIG. 1B has beenextended to include anchor points 115 that may each be assigned tostatement lines for the purpose of referencing similar statements acrossmultiple configuration documents. Each configuration document 109 maycorrespond to a single network device to contain statements representinga specific configuration for the associated device. Each document thatis managed using the techniques in this disclosure may be managed aspart of a group of documents used to configure network devices thatprovide similar purposes (or that have similar configuration settingsfor different types of devices). Similar devices, in practice, typicallyhave similar configurations within a given network domain. Havingsimilar configurations may result in many documents having severalsimilar statements that should be changed concurrently if any of thesesimilar statements are changed in a single document. To illustrate thisconcept, consider anchor 2-1 as indicated by 130-1 in document 109-1,anchor 2-1 as indicated by 130-2 in document 109-2, and anchor 2-1 asindicated by 130-3 in document 100-3 that each reference a statementthat has been assigned ordering slot 12 according to the example.Statements that are similar are identified as similar by assigning amatching anchor. Similar statements may have a matching ordering slotgiven statements follow RGL 110. Additionally, anchor 2-2 as indicatedby 120-4 in document 109-2 is also assigned to slot 12 but has adifferent anchor point than other slot 12 statements. This may be anindication that for document 109-2 there are multiple sections of thedocument that contain information associated with slot 12 and thereforean edit to a configuration parameter associated with slot 12 mayindicate that multiple locations within document 109-2 may need to beupdated upon receipt of an editing command that changes a slot 12parameter. In short, a combination of slots and anchor points may beused across multiple documents as a reverse mapping to determine how anediting change may need to be applied back to the original sourcedocuments.

Still further, statements having matching anchors to indicate similaritymay not exist across all network device configuration documents. Thisconcept is illustrated by anchor 1-2 as indicated by 140-1 in document109-2 and anchor 1-2 as indicated by 140-2 in document 109-3 without acorresponding anchor 1-2 appearing in document 109-1. This may indicatethat the network devices corresponding to the configuration documents109-2 and 100-3 may have configuration elements that are irrelevant tothe network device corresponding to the configuration document 109-1.

Statements may also be assigned an anchor that does not match an anchorin any other document as illustrated by anchors as indicated by 120-1through 120-7 that are unique across the example set of three documents.Statements without anchors to matching statements in any other documentsmay represent configuration settings that are unique to a device andtherefore have a single unique instance across all documents (e.g., ahostname may be unique within a network). Alternatively, uniquestatements may be temporarily unique and may later be matched with astatement in another document with a matching anchor if a new matchingstatement is added to another document. For example, if a new NTP serveris added to a subnet and tested with a single device prior to having allother devices reconfigured to point to the new NTP server. Manydifferent combinations are possible.

Anchors are given simple numbers for purposes of the example diagramsbut may be assigned any type of identifier that is sufficient touniquely identify an anchor (e.g., a hash or other identifying key). Theordering of anchors in a particular document may not have any relativesignificance within that document given the uniqueness of the anchoracross multiple documents allows the anchor to be matched in anyposition of any other document as long as the corresponding areas of thetwo documents represent the same area of interest with respect toconfiguration settings appearing at their respective locations withinthose documents.

Referring now to FIG. 2, a block diagram is shown to illustrate anexample where changes to network device configuration documents 109conforming to RGL 110 are merged with other statements in otherdocuments having the same anchor identifier. In one example, a user maychange the statement corresponding to anchor 130-1 (identified as“ANCHOR 2-1” in FIG. 2) in document 109-1. This may cause the mergeprocess 205 (e.g., application of changes to multiple documents from amulti-edit session) to merge/apply the changes to the statementcorresponding to anchor 2-1 (130-1) with the statements corresponding toanchor 2-1 (130-2) in document 109-2 and anchor 2-1 (130-3) in document100-3. Thus, a change (e.g., edited value) may be propagated back to theappropriate area of interest and corresponding statements (correspondingby parameter setting not location) in other configuration documents.

Still referring to FIG. 2, a second example of changes to a networkdevice configuration document is shown where a user may change thestatement corresponding to anchor 140-2 (identified as “ANCHOR 1-2” inFIG. 2) in document 109-3. This change may invoke merge process 210 tomerge the changes to the statement corresponding to anchor 1-2 asindicated by 140-2 with the statements also corresponding to anchor 1-2as indicated by 140-1 in document 109-2. This example illustrates thatchanges can occur in an edit session (e.g., multi-edit) to invoke amerge process that propagates the changes from the editing session tostatements in other applicable documents by matching statements withidentical (or corresponding) anchors.

Changes to parameter settings that affect any document that has anassigned anchor that is unique across all managed documents (e.g. theanchor value is unique to a single statement in a single document) arenot merged with any statements in any other documents (because there isno corresponding area of interest). An example of such statements thathave a unique anchor are indicated by anchors 120-1 to 120-7.

Referring now to FIG. 3, a process diagram of one example process 300 isillustrated. Example process 300 may be used to manage changes made tostatements in a network device configuration document (e.g., via amulti-edit session or some other technique that includes propagationsuch as a scripted change). Beginning at block 305, a statement such asa configuration parameter may be added or changed in a network deviceconfiguration document. Continuing to Block 310, the statement may bechecked to ensure it is valid according to an RGL. Block 315 shows adecision branch that continues to block 320 if the statement is validaccording to the RGL. However, if the statement is not valid accordingto the RGL, the process continues to block 325.

Still referring to FIG. 3, block 320 assigns an ordering slot to thestatement if the statement is valid according to the RGL. Should thestatement not be valid according to the RGL, the statement is marked, inthis example, as having an unmapped ordering slot. Both blocks 320 and325 continue to decision 330 where the statement may be furtherevaluated for the existence of an anchor associated with the statement.If the statement has an existing anchor, the YES prong of decision 330,process flow continues to block 345. Should the statement not have anexisting anchor, the NO prong of decision 330, process flow continues toblock 335.

Block 335, in this example, begins a branch that searches informationfrom the group of managed documents to find an existing anchor that canbe assigned to the statement if a matching statement is found. Thebranch process continues to decision 340 to evaluate if the searchresulted in identifying an existing anchor suitable for assigning to thestatement in any other document in the group of managed documents. If nosuitable anchor was found, the NO prong of decision 340, processcontinues to block 355 where a new anchor is assigned to the statement.

If a suitable anchor is found when evaluating the search performed inblock 335 or the statement had an existing anchor in accordance with thedecision branch 330, the process continues to block 345. In block 345,the anchor is assigned to the statement and the process continues toblock 350. In block 350, a merge is performed among all statements withmatching anchors.

Referring to FIG. 4, shown is an example computing device 400, with ahardware processor 401, and accessible machine-readable instructionsstored on a machine-readable medium 402 that may be used to managechanges to statements in multiple network device configurationdocuments, according to one or more disclosed example implementations.FIG. 4 illustrates computing device 400 configured to perform the flowof method 300 as an example. However, computing device 400 may also beconfigured to perform the flow of other methods, techniques, functions,or processes described in this disclosure. In this example of FIG. 4,machine-readable storage medium 402 includes instructions to causehardware processor 401 to perform blocks 305-350 discussed above withreference to FIG. 3.

A machine-readable storage medium, such as 402 of FIG. 4, may includeboth volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media, andmay be any electronic, magnetic, optical, or other physical storagedevice that contains or stores executable instructions, data structures,program module, or other data accessible to a processor, for examplefirmware, erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), random accessmemory (RAM), non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM), optical disk,solid state drive (SSD), flash memory chips, and the like. Themachine-readable storage medium may be a non-transitory storage medium,where the term “non-transitory” does not encompass transitorypropagating signals.

Referring to FIG. 5, an example portion of a corporate network 500 isshown consisting of a central router 505 with connected subnets 515-1,515-2, and 515-3. To simplify the explanation of this example, a limitednumber of subnets, central routers, IP Addresses, and network devicesare shown in the diagram. The limited number of these concepts in thediagram is not intended to limit the number of devices and subnets usedwhen applying the techniques in this disclosure to a corporate network.

Each subnet 515-1 to 515-3 may be connected to central router 505through a network interface 510-1, 510-2, and 510-3 dedicated to subnet515-1, 515-2, and 515-3, respectively. A plurality of network devices520-1, 520-2, and 520-3 may be members of corresponding subnets 515-1 to515-3. Each network device in the plurality of devices 520-1 to 520-3has a configuration corresponding to the device. The configuration ofeach device may correspond to a network device configuration document109 as illustrated in FIGS. 1B-C, and 2. Each network deviceconfiguration document 109 may have a combination of statementscorresponding to RGL 110 (FIGS. 1A-C, and 2).

Each configuration document for a network device located in a subnetmay, for example, consist of zero or more statements that are exactlythe same in the configuration document for each other device located inthe same subnet. An example, of a statement that may be exactly the samein all configuration documents can be illustrated when devices 520-1connected to subnet 515-1 that is connected to the central router 505through network interface 510-1. Each network device 520-1, to functionproperly, is configured to send data for destinations outside of subnet515-1 through the network interface 510-1 having the IP addressX.X.X.221 in this example.

As an additional example, each configuration document for a networkdevice located in a subnet may consist of zero or more statements thatare similar to statements in configuration documents for each otherdevice located in the same subnet. An example of a statement that may besimilar across all device configuration documents in a subnet mayinstruct each device to assign a unique name and IP address to thedevice. The portion of such statements may also have a syntaxcorresponding to RGL 110 in FIG. 1 expressing the command to set thename or IP address that is the same across each document. The uniqueportion of each statement is the name or IP address that the commandassigns to the network device corresponding to the configurationdocument. Thus, configuration documents may have identical values insome cases and portions of statements that are identical in other cases.

In this example, the above examples apply to all configuration documentsfor devices grouped within a subnet. Each subnet 515-1 to 515-3 having aconnection to the central router 505 on a network interface 510-1 to510-3 dedicated to each subnet further illustrates that there may beconfiguration documents for devices in each subnet that differ in theconfiguration statement that configures each network device in thesubnet, with respect to where to send data with destinations outside thesubnet. Where configuration, documents in subnet 515-1 are configured tosend data through IP address X.X.X.221, according to the above example,devices in subnet 515-2 and 515-3 would be configured differently.Devices in subnet 515-2 would send data to IP address X.X.X.222 beingconnected to network interface 510-2 on central router 505. Similarly,devices in subnet 515-3 would send data to IP address X.X.X.223 beingconnected to network interface 510-3 on central router 505.

Referring to FIG. 6, shown is an example block diagram 600 of networkdevice configuration documents 615 and 620 that illustrate deviceconfigurations for example sulonets 605 and 610. For this example,consider the documents are valid in accordance with the RGL 110 shown inFIG. 1. For purposes of the example, the number of network deviceconfiguration documents in the diagram is limited. In practice, thenumber of network device documents where implementations of thisdisclosure may be applied would be without limit.

Still referring to FIG. 6, the example “SLOT 1” statement in networkdevice configuration documents 615-620 may configure the unique name ofthe device. The statement is assigned “Anchor 1” to indicate it is asimilar statement and changes to the command portion of the statement(e.g. “DEVICE NAME”) should be merged across all documents while theportion of the statement that is unique to each device (e.g. the name)is not modified.

Network device configuration documents 615-1 and 615-2 in this exampleare, configuring devices that are connected to example subnet 605. The“DEFAULT ROUTE” command in “SLOT 12” is assigned “Anchor 3” to indicateit is a similar statement. In this example, the network deviceconfigurations 615-1 and 615-2 use the same value “X.X.X.221” as eachdevice on subnet 605 has the same value for the default route. However,the same statement in network device configuration documents 620-1 and620-2 “SLOT 12” is assigned “Anchor 4” to indicate that changes to anydocument 615 would not merge to any documents 620 due to devicesconfigured via documents 620 belonging to subnet 610. Changes to thestatement in “SLOT 12” in any network device configuration document 620would be merged with other documents 620 given the network devicesbelong to subnet 610. As stated above, because ordering of informationwithin a configuration document may not be consistent across deviceconfiguration files, the combination of slots and anchor points allowsfor proper back merging of changes across multiple files.

Referring now to FIG. 7, example network diagram 700 illustrates aninfrastructure network with a plurality of end-user devices 704A-D thatmay be used to provide a user interface to a multi-editor in accordancewith this disclosure. Network diagram 700 further includes cellularnetwork 715, network 718 that may include the Internet, remote deviceconnections for each of these networks, namely 710-1 and 710-2,respectively. These remote device connections may be wireless or wiredand may be IP based or cellular based communications. Cellular network715 may be supported by one or more cell towers 716. Backend 720represents one or more servers that may support a backend server portionof a multi-editor designed in accordance with a client-serverapplication model. Backend 720 is illustrated to include redundantserver set 722 includes two servers 723 that may provide fault tolerance(e.g., backup) for each other and server 725 illustrated, in thisexample, as a standalone server. In either case, server side editcapabilities 708 is illustrated to execute on one of servers 722 or 725in this example. Bi-directional arrow 707 indicates that communicationsmay take place, via the illustrated networks for example, between aserver side edit capabilities 708 functional module and a client-sideinterface 706 that may be executing on any of end-user devices 704A-D.Thus, a user may interact with different types of end-user devices tointeract with a server side multi-editor in accordance withimplementations of this disclosure.

Further, server side edit capabilities 708 may be RGL compliant andprovide assistance to editing multiple documents simultaneously on aresource constrained end-user device. Accordingly, a resourceconstrained end-user device may support a web-based interface (e.g.,browser) or another lightweight user interface. Optimization of datatransmissions (e.g., bi-directional arrow 707) may allow a resourceconstrained end-user device to benefit from disclosed multi-editcapabilities utilizing anchor information to edit multiple documentssimultaneously. Data from multiple documents that is identical need notbe transmitted to each end-user device, instead, anchor pointinformation may be provided based on which portion of a document isbeing edited on the end-user device. Upon change to any value,transmission of the change to the server side edit capabilities 708module may include anchor point information along with the data change.Thus, the server side may then extrapolate this change and backpropagate the change across many instances of configuration documents asdescribed above. This type of implementation represents an improvementto the capabilities that may be realized on standard end-user devices toleverage other concepts of this disclosure. Additionally, an RGL (orsubset thereof) may be provided to the end-user device such that theend-user device, even though possibly resource constrained, may providejust-in-time error correction and validation as outlined above. Stillfurther, contextually aware expert information (e.g., from an RGL) mayalso be provided on these end-user devices with minimal overhead.

FIG. 8 represents a computer network infrastructure that may be used toimplement all or part of the disclosed network device configurationdocument management techniques, according to one or more disclosedimplementations. Network infrastructure 800 includes a set of networkswhere examples of the present disclosure may operate. Networkinfrastructure 800 comprises a customer network 802, network 808,cellular network 803, and a cloud service provider network 810. In oneexample, the customer network 802 may be a local private network, suchas local area network (LAN) that includes a variety of network devicesthat include, but are not limited to switches, servers, and routers.

Each of these networks can contain wired or wireless programmabledevices and operate using any number of network protocols (e.g., TCP/IP)and connection technologies (e.g., WiFi® networks, or Bluetooth®. Inanother example, customer network 802 represents an enterprise networkthat could include or be communicatively coupled to one or more localarea networks (LANs), virtual networks, data centers and/or other remotenetworks (e.g., 808, 810). In the context of the present disclosure,customer network 802 may include multiple devices configured with thedisclosed multi-edit and management based on RGL techniques such asthose described above. Also, one of the many computer storage resourcesin customer network 802 (or other networks shown) may be configured tostore the multiple network configuration device documents 109 of FIG. 1.

As shown in FIG. 8, customer network 802 may be connected to one or moreclient devices 804A-E and allow the client devices 804A-E to communicatewith each other and/or with cloud service provider network 810, vianetwork 808 (e.g., Internet). Client devices 804A-E may be computingsystems such as desktop computer 804B, tablet computer 804C, mobilephone 804D, laptop computer (shown as wireless) 804E, and/or other typesof computing systems generically shown as client device 804A.

Network infrastructure 800 may also include other types of devicesgenerally referred to as Internet of Things (IoT) (e.g., edge IOT device805) that may be configured to send and receive information via anetwork to access cloud computing services or interact with a remote webbrowser application (e.g., to receive configuration information).

FIG. 8 also illustrates that customer network 802 includes local computeresources 806A-C that may include a server, access point, router, orother device configured to provide for local computational resourcesand/or facilitate communication amongst networks and devices. Forexample, local compute resources 806A-C may be one or more physicallocal hardware devices that are configured using the network deviceconfiguration documents according to the examples. Local computeresources 806A-C may also facilitate communication between otherexternal applications, data sources (e.g., 807A and 807B), and services,and customer network 802. Local compute resource 806C illustrates apossible processing system cluster with three nodes. Of course, anynumber of nodes is possible, but three are shown in this example forillustrative purposes.

Network infrastructure 800 also includes cellular network 803 for usewith mobile communication devices. Mobile cellular networks supportmobile phones and many other types of mobile devices such as laptopsetc. Mobile devices in network infrastructure 800 are illustrated asmobile phone 804D, laptop computer 804E, and tablet computer 804C. Amobile device such as mobile phone 804D may interact with one or moremobile provider networks as the mobile device moves, typicallyinteracting with a plurality of mobile network towers 820, 830, and 840for connecting to the cellular network 803. In the context of thecurrent monitoring and event ingestion management, user alerts as toinitiating of throttling actions may be configured to provide anend-user notification. In some implementations, this notification may beprovided through network infrastructure 800 directly to a systemadministrators cellular phone.

Although referred to as a cellular network in FIG. 8, a mobile devicemay interact with towers of more than one provider network, as well aswith multiple non-cellular devices such as wireless access points androuters (e.g., local compute resources 806A-C). In addition, the mobiledevices may interact with other mobile devices or with non-mobiledevices such as desktop computer 804B and various types of client device804A for desired services. Although not specifically illustrated in FIG.8, customer network 802 may also include a dedicated network device(e.g., gateway or router) or a combination of network devices (notshown) that implement a customer firewall or intrusion protectionsystem. These types of devices may be configured using the multi-editcapabilities of this disclosure.

FIG. 8 illustrates that customer network 802 is coupled to a network808. Network 808 may include one or more computing networks availabletoday, such as other LANs, wide area networks (WAN), the Internet,and/or other remote networks, in order to transfer data between clientdevices 804A-D and cloud service provider network 810. Each of thecomputing networks within network 808 may contain wired and/or wirelessprogrammable devices that operate in the electrical and/or opticaldomain.

In FIG. 8, cloud service provider network 810 is illustrated as a remotenetwork (e.g., a cloud network) that is able to communicate with clientdevices 804A-E via customer network 802 and network 808. The cloudservice provider network 810 acts as a platform that provides additionalcomputing resources to the client devices 804A-E and/or customer network802. In one example, cloud service provider network 810 includes one ormore data centers 812 with one or more server instances 814.

FIG. 9 illustrates a computer processing device 900 that may be used toimplement the functions, modules, processing platforms, executionplatforms, communication devices, and other methods and processes ofthis disclosure. For example, computing device 900 illustrated in FIG. 9could represent a client device or a physical server device and includeeither hardware or virtual processor(s) depending on the level ofabstraction of the computing device. In some instances (withoutabstraction), computing device 900 and its elements, as shown in FIG. 9,each relate to physical hardware. Alternatively, in some instances one,more, or all of the elements could be implemented using emulators orvirtual machines as levels of abstraction. In any case, no matter howmany levels of abstraction away from the physical hardware, computingdevice 900 at its lowest level may be implemented on physical hardware.

As also shown in FIG. 9, computing device 900 may include one or moreinput devices 930, such as a keyboard, mouse, touchpad, or sensorreadout (e.g., biometric scanner) and one or more output devices 915,such as displays, speakers for audio, or printers. Some devices may beconfigured as input/output devices also (e.g., a network interface ortouchscreen display).

Computing device 900 may also include communications interfaces 925,such as a network communication unit that could include a wiredcommunication component and/or a wireless communications component,which may be communicatively coupled to processor 905. The networkcommunication unit may utilize any of a variety of proprietary orstandardized network protocols, such as Ethernet, TCP/IP, to name a fewof many protocols, to effect communications between devices. Networkcommunication units may also comprise one or more transceiver(s) thatutilize the Ethernet, power line communication (PLC), WiFi, cellular,and/or other communication methods.

As illustrated in FIG. 9, computing device 900 includes a processingelement such as processor 905 that contains one or more hardwareprocessors, where each hardware processor may have a single or multipleprocessor cores. In one example, the processor 905 may include at leastone shared cache that stores data (e.g., computing instructions) thatare utilized by one or more other components of processor 905. Forexample, the shared cache may be a locally cached data stored in amemory for faster access by components of the processing elements thatmake up processor 905. In one or more examples, the shared cache mayinclude one or more mid-level caches, such as level 2 (L2), level 3(L3), level 4 (L4), or other levels of cache, a last level cache (LLC),or combinations thereof. Examples of processors include but are notlimited to a central processing unit (CPU) a microprocessor. Althoughnot illustrated in FIG. 9, the processing elements that make upprocessor 905 may also include one or more of other types of hardwareprocessing components, such as graphics processing units (GPU),application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmablegate arrays (FPGAs), and/or digital signal processors (DSPs).

FIG. 9 illustrates that memory 910 may be operatively andcommunicatively coupled to processor 905. Memory 910 may be anon-transitory medium configured to store various types of data. Forexample, memory 910 may include one or more storage devices 920 thatcomprise a non-volatile storage device and/or volatile memory. Volatilememory, such as random-access memory (RAM), can be any suitablenon-permanent storage device. The non-volatile storage devices 920 caninclude one or more disk drives, optical drives, solid-state drives(SSDs), tap drives, flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), and/or anyother type of memory designed to maintain data for a duration of timeafter a power loss or shut down operation. In certain instances, thenon-volatile storage devices 920 may be used to store overflow data ifallocated RAM is not large enough to hold all working data. Thenon-volatile storage devices 920 may also be used to store programs thatare loaded into the RAM when such programs are selected for execution.

Persons of ordinary skill in the art are aware that software programsmay be developed, encoded, and compiled in a variety of computinglanguages for a variety of software platforms and/or operating systemsand subsequently loaded and executed by processor 905. In one example,the compiling process of the software program may transform program codewritten in a programming language to another computer language such thatthe processor 905 is able to execute the programming code. For example,the compiling process of the software program may generate an executableprogram that provides encoded instructions (e.g., machine codeinstructions) for processor 905 to accomplish specific, non-generic,particular computing functions.

After the compiling process, the encoded instructions may then be loadedas computer executable instructions or process events to processor 905from storage device 920, from memory 910, and/or embedded withinprocessor 905 (e.g., via a cache or on-board ROM). Processor 905 may beconfigured to execute the stored instructions or process events in orderto perform instructions or process events to transform the computingdevice into a non-generic, particular, specially programmed machine orapparatus. Stored data, e.g., data stored by a storage device 920, maybe accessed by processor 905 during the execution of computer executableinstructions or process events to instruct one or more components withinthe computing device 900.

A user interface (e.g., output devices 915 and input devices 930) caninclude a display, positional input device (such as a mouse, touchpad,touchscreen, or the like), keyboard, or other forms of user input andoutput devices. The user interface components may be communicativelycoupled to processor 905. When the output device is or includes adisplay, the display can be implemented in various ways, including by aliquid crystal display (LCD) or a cathode-ray tube (CRT) or lightemitting diode (LED) display, such as an organic light emitting diode(OLED) display. Persons of ordinary skill in the art are aware that thecomputing device 900 may comprise other components well known in theart, such as sensors, powers sources, and/or analog-to-digitalconverters, not explicitly shown in FIG. 9.

Certain terms have been used throughout this description and claims torefer to particular system components. As one skilled in the art willappreciate, different parties may refer to a component by differentnames. This document does not intend to distinguish between componentsthat differ in name but not function. In this disclosure and claims, theterms “including” and “comprising” are used in an open-ended fashion,and thus should be interpreted to mean “including, but not limited to .. . ” Also, the term “couple” or “couples” is intended to mean either anindirect or direct wired or wireless connection. Thus, if a first devicecouples to a second device, that connection may be through a directconnection or through an indirect connection via other devices andconnections. The recitation “based on” is intended to mean “based atleast in part on.” Therefore, if X is based on Y, X may be a function ofY and any number of other factors.

The above discussion is meant to be illustrative of the principles andvarious implementations of the present disclosure. Numerous variationsand modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art oncethe above disclosure is fully appreciated. It is intended that thefollowing claims be interpreted to embrace all such variations andmodifications.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer system, comprising: a networkcommunications interface; a memory; and one or more processing units,communicatively coupled to the memory and the network communicationsinterface, wherein the memory stores instructions, that when executed bythe one or more processing units, cause the one or more processing unitsto provide a server side component of a view and edit function tosimultaneously view and edit multiple network device configurations, theserver side component: parse a plurality of different network deviceconfiguration documents to create a set of slots and anchor pointsrelative to locations of related parameter settings within each of thedifferent network device configuration documents, the slots indicating atype of parameter setting and the anchor points indicating a relativelocation within each of the different network device configurationdocuments based on the slot indications; transmit a condensed view of anarea of interest to a remote client device along with informationpertaining to at least one anchor point to map configuration settingsfrom the condensed view back to one or more of the plurality ofdifferent network device configuration documents; receive an indication,from the remote client device, of a change in parameter value for anetwork configuration setting from the condensed view, the indicationincluding an associated anchor point for the change in parameter value;determine a location, using the associated anchor point, to apply thechange in parameter value received from the remote client device tomultiple of the plurality of different network device configurationdocuments, wherein information sent to the remote client device for thecondensed view compresses multiple instances of information from thearea of interest into a single instance to reduce transmission ofinformation to the remote client device.
 2. The computer system of claim1, wherein the remote client device executes a client side applicationto interface to a server side instance of a multi-edit application. 3.The computer system of claim 1, wherein the associated anchor pointreceived from the remote client device maps to multiple of the pluralityof different network device configuration documents.
 4. The computersystem of claim 1, wherein after applying the change in parameter valueto multiple of the plurality of different network device configurationdocuments, an updated condensed view is sent to the remote client, theupdated condensed view representing a delta of information to be appliedto elide transmission of redundant information from multiple documentsassociated with the area of interest.
 5. The computer system of claim 1,further comprising instructions, that when executed by the one or moreprocessing units, cause the one or more processing units to: create theset of slots as part of the server side component based on a restrictivegrammar language (RGL) definition of rules associated with a networkincluding a first device associated with a first configuration file anda second device associated with a second configuration file, the firstand second configuration file part of the plurality of different networkdevice configuration documents, transmit at least a portion of the RGLto the remote client device to provide information from the RGL aboutthe area of interest presented in the condensed view.
 6. The computersystem of claim 5, further comprising instructions, that when executedby the one or more processing units, cause the one or more processingunits to: utilize the portion of the RGL on the remote client device tovalidate the change in parameter value prior to allowing transmission ofthe indication of the change from the remote client device to the serverside component.
 7. The computer system of claim 6, wherein transmissionof the indication of the change from the remote client to the serverside component is blocked responsive to a failed validation.
 8. Thecomputer system of claim 5, wherein the RGL definition comprisesinformation collected from a majority of devices having networkconfiguration settings connected to the network.
 9. The computer systemof claim 8, wherein the RGL comprises information to indicateconsistency for parameter values within the network that should besimilarly or identically configured for all devices within the network.10. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructionsstored thereon that when executed by one or more processing units causethe one or more processing units to: parse a plurality of differentnetwork device configuration documents to create a set of slots andanchor points relative to locations of related parameter settings withineach of the different network device configuration documents, the slotsindicating a type of parameter setting and the anchor points indicatinga relative location within each of the different network deviceconfiguration documents based on the slot indications; transmit acondensed view of an area of interest to a remote client device alongwith information pertaining to at least one anchor point to mapconfiguration settings from the condensed view back to one or more ofthe plurality of different network device configuration documents;receive an indication, from the remote client device, of a change inparameter value for a network configuration setting from the condensedview, the indication including an associated anchor point for the changein parameter value; determine a location, using the associated anchorpoint, to apply the change in parameter value received from the remoteclient device to multiple of the plurality of different network deviceconfiguration documents, wherein information sent to the remote clientdevice for the condensed view compresses multiple instances ofinformation from the area of interest into a single instance to reducetransmission of information to the remote client device.
 11. Thenon-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the remoteclient device executes a client side application to interface to aserver side instance of a multi-edit application.
 12. The non-transitorycomputer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the associated anchorpoint received from the remote client device maps to multiple of theplurality of different network device configuration documents.
 13. Thenon-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein afterapplying the change in parameter value to multiple of the plurality ofdifferent network device configuration documents, an updated condensedview is sent to the remote client, the updated condensed viewrepresenting a delta of information to be applied to elide transmissionof redundant information from multiple documents associated with thearea of interest.
 14. The non-transitory computer readable medium ofclaim 10, further comprising instructions, that when executed by the oneor more processing units, cause the one or more processing units to:create the set of slots as part of the server side component based on arestrictive grammar language (RGL) definition of rules associated with anetwork including a first device associated with a first configurationfile and a second device associated with a second configuration file,the first and second configuration file part of the plurality ofdifferent network device configuration documents, transmit at least aportion of the RGL to the remote client device to provide informationfrom the RGL about the area of interest presented in the condensed view.15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 14, furthercomprising instructions, that when executed by the one or moreprocessing units, cause the one or more processing units to: utilize theportion of the RGL on the remote client device to validate the change inparameter value prior to allowing transmission of the indication of thechange from the remote client device to the server side component. 16.The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, whereintransmission of the indication of the change from the remote client tothe server side component is blocked responsive to a failed validation.17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein theRGL definition comprises information collected from a majority ofdevices having network configuration settings connected to the network.18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein theRGL comprises information to indicate consistency for parameter valueswithin the network that should be similarly or identically configuredfor all devices within the network.
 19. A computer implemented methodcomprising: parsing a plurality of different network deviceconfiguration documents to create a set of slots and anchor pointsrelative to locations of related parameter settings within each of thedifferent network device configuration documents, the slots indicating atype of parameter setting and the anchor points indicating a relativelocation within each of the different network device configurationdocuments based on the slot indications; transmitting a condensed viewof an area of interest to a remote client device along with informationpertaining to at least one anchor point to map configuration settingsfrom the condensed view back to one or more of the plurality ofdifferent network device configuration documents; receiving anindication, from the remote client device, of a change in parametervalue for a network configuration setting from the condensed view, theindication including an associated anchor point for the change inparameter value; determining a location, using the associated anchorpoint, to apply the change in parameter value received from the remoteclient device to multiple of the plurality of different network deviceconfiguration documents, wherein information sent to the remote clientdevice for the condensed view compresses multiple instances ofinformation from the area of interest into a single instance to reducetransmission of information to the remote client device.
 20. Thecomputer implemented method of claim 19, wherein the remote clientdevice executes a client side application to interface to a server sideinstance of a multi-edit application.